AMES, Iowa -- Lynn Sherr, who has been a correspondent with the ABC
Newsmagazine "20/20" since May 1986, will be the fall 2006 Mary Louise Smith
Chair in Women and Politics at Iowa State University.

Sherr will deliver a presentation titled "Outside the Box: Women,
Politics and Media" at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28, in the Sun Room,
Memorial Union. The event is free and open to the public.

"As the first woman to anchor a primetime television network news series,
Lynn Sherr has broken many gender barriers in her profession and, through
her reporting, has opened new career paths for young women in many
professions," said Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt
Center for Women and Politics. "She also has considerable experience
covering politics and analyzing election outcomes. We look forward to
hearing about her experiences as a woman journalist and author as well as
her analysis of the 2006 mid-term election."

Sherr has covered a wide range of stories, specializing in women's issues
and social change, as well as investigative reports. Her contributions to
"20/20" include an award-winning report on the story of a homeless girl in
New York who earned a scholarship to Harvard; a pioneering report on a
treatment for anorexia; and a series on women who alter their bodies in the
name of beauty. In 2000, she reported on midnight in Bombay, India, for the
ABC News Millennium Special, which received numerous awards. Her awards also
include an Emmy, two American Women in Radio and Television Commendation
awards, and a George Foster Peabody Award.

Prior to her assignment at "20/20," Sherr was a national correspondent
for ABC News, where she was also part of the network's political team. She
served as a floor reporter for every Republican and Democratic nominating
convention starting in 1978, and regularly analyzed the results of the exit
polls on election nights. In 1984, she also covered the presidential primary
campaign of Senator John Glenn and the vice presidential campaign of
Geraldine Ferraro.

Sherr also reported on the NASA space shuttle program from its inception
in 1981 through the Challenger explosion in 1986 -- anchoring almost every
mission from launch to landing. During the investigation into the Challenger
accident, she obtained the only interview with astronaut Sally Ride. She was
also chosen as a semifinalist in the Journalist-in-Space program, which was
later abandoned.

Before coming to ABC, Sherr was a reporter for WNET-TV in New York and
WETA-TV in Washington, D.C. -- both public television stations. Prior to
that, she reported for WCBS-TV and The Associated Press -- both in New York
-- and Cond Nast Publications.

She is the author of "Failure Is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony in Her Own
Words," co-author of "Susan B. Anthony Slept Here: A Guide to American
Women's Landmarks," and 10 editions of "The Women's Calendar." Her
bestselling book, "Tall Blondes," offered a critically-acclaimed look at
giraffes, and was also the subject of a one-hour documentary for the PBS
"Nature" program. Her bestselling book, "America the Beautiful: The Stirring
True Story Behind Our Nation's Favorite Song," came out in 2001. Her newest
work, "Outside the Box," a memoir, was published last September.

Sherr is the 15th prominent woman leader to visit Iowa State as the Mary
Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics. The chair was created in 1995 to
honor Smith, an Iowa native and longtime political and civic leader. It
brings nationally renowned political leaders, scholars and activists to Iowa
State. Smith was the only woman to chair the Republican National Party
(1974-1977).

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Lynn Sherr

Quick look

ABC Newsmagazine "20/20" correspondent Lynn Sherr will be the fall 2006 Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and
Politics at Iowa State University. She will deliver a presentation titled "Outside the Box: Women,
Politics and Media" at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28, in the Sun Room,
Memorial Union. The event is free and open to the public

Quote

"As the first woman to anchor a primetime television network news series,
Lynn Sherr has broken many gender barriers in her profession and, through
her reporting, has opened new career paths for young women in many
professions. She also has considerable experience covering politics and analyzing election outcomes. We look forward to
hearing about her experiences as a woman journalist and author as well as
her analysis of the 2006 mid-term election."